Pro Wrestling: Heroes of Wrestling Past—Gangrel

Years ago, before vampires went to high school and sparkled, the Draculas of the world used to wrestle. Isn't that a fun fact?! Of course you know who I am referring to: Gangrel.

Yeah the chubby guy with the puffy shirt, who used to spit blood everywhere. By request of a reader of the previous edition, I decided to take a look back at David Heath, better known as Gangrel, as our next Hero of Wrestling Past.

First of all, if you didn't like the vampire gimmick, it was a Vince Russo thing (that explains a lot.) I would also like to say that his entrance was pretty sweet. The arena would get dark, with a red tinge, this eerie music would play and he would rise from fire. How BA is that?

Gangrel first made his debut on August 16, 1998, on Sunday Night Heat (back when people actually watched Sunday Night Heat.) He defeated Scott Taylor. (AKA Scotty Too Hotty. Don't worry, I'll get to him in a future edition.) Gangrel would be the Bill Goldberg of WWE, going undefeated for several months.

Soon, he joined forces with a couple of guys named Edge and Christian. Keep in mind, these two guys never did anything else in their careers and rode Gangrel's Hall-of-Fame coattails. (Except some titles and stuff that nobody remembers...nobody. If you say they became two of the best performers in WWE history, you just ruined the joke.)

These three men formed The Brood. The Brood was known to use the Freebird Rule in tag team matches and to give opponents bloodbaths. Most wrestlers would change their clothes after being covered in blood, except Al Snow...gross.

Gangrel would have his faction join The Ministry of Darkness, aligning himself with The Undertaker. Gangrel would also set his sights on coveted European gold. He would not capture it, but it showed he had what it took to be a champion.

The Brood began to crumble. Gangrel would leave those Edge and Christian guys for the paragons of virtue that are known as The Hardy Boyz (turns on taser.) The New Brood would be a dominate force, until it disbanded. For some reason, The Hard(l)y Boyz were more interested in Terri Runnels.

Following this breakup, Gangrel worked alone until he brought in his real-life wife, Luna Vachon. She was soon fired, and he was back on his own.

Apparently, Gangrel was drinking too much blood and was fired for weight issues. He would attempt to come back on numerous occasions, but he just couldn't cut down on the carbs. He never made it back to the main roster. However, Gangrel did return for the Raw 15th Anniversary show in the gimmick battle royal.

Gangrel has worked for independent promotions all over the world. Finally, he decided to follow in the footsteps of the perfectly sane Chyna and enter into the world of adult films. He became a part of the New Porn Order. (I am hoping Scott Hall sat this one out.) He was known as Vampire Warrior.

In 2007, he made his adult-film debut in Miami Rump Shakerz 2. That is disappointing, because sequels are never as good as the originals.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Thanks for reading! Please feel free to comment on your fondest memories of Gangrel and also with who you would like to see featured on future editions of Heroes of Wrestling Past. Be sure to check out the SPECIAL CvC 2.0 EDITION of Heroes of Wrestling Past, coming this Friday! Thanks again for reading!